Dr. Jones has a duty to determine how the test results were lost and why, disclose this information to his patient, Mrs. Taylor, and see that she is not held responsible for the costs of rerunning the test.
Sandra R. DiBrito, MD and Macey L. Henderson, JD, PhD
Organ donor potential should not be considered during active resuscitation of trauma patients, and trauma surgeons should not make organ donation requests.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(5):447-454. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.5.ecas4-1805.
Daniella M. Schocken, Aliye Runyan, MD, Anna Willieme, MFS, and Jason Wilson, MD
Distinctions in garb worn by health care professionals have their drawbacks, to the degree that reinforcing the differences between team members can reinforce rigid role divisions and hierarchical inequities that undermine teamwork.
Family presence in the trauma bay is not entirely analogous to family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and requires a chaperone system.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(5):455-463. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.5.ecas5-1805.
In clinical settings, chaplains are key communicators who help mediate between patients, families, and the medical team. This month on Ethics Talk, we explore how chaplains help patients and families articulate their goals and navigate logistical and emotional challenges that arise in the hospital.
Physicians new to a case might object to an established care plan. Practice variation, clinical momentum, and how value is assigned by different parties to acute care and comfort measures can each contribute to conflict in these cases.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(8):E699-707. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.699.